The present invention is directed toward a bumper for an infant or child's playpen or the like and more particularly, toward a unique bumper that protects and provides entertainment for a child.
Crib bumpers are well known and are used to protect a child from injury while in the crib. The bumpers are typically soft and may be decorative or include various amusement devices such as toys, music, or mirrors in order to entertain the child while he or she is in the crib. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,600 to Baum discloses a decorative crib bumper. U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,421 to Carroll discloses a crib bumper with a picture display. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,324 to Rist discloses a soft bumper for a crib that includes a pocket stitched to the interior face of the bumper. An audio device may be placed within the pocket so that the child is soothed. However, none of these patents discloses a bumper for a playpen nor do any disclose the concept of securing toys to a bumper for a playpen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,545 to Howard discloses a crib bumper and a pocket attached to the bumper for holding various items such as toys, baby wipes, and pacifiers. However, the pocket is located outside of the crib so that the child would be unable to reach for any toys held within the pocket while in the playpen.
Therefore, a need exists for a bumper that may be used with a playpen and protects a child but also includes toys that may be easily accessible to a child while in the playpen.